The Expedition to the Nile Sources Begins
We are putting all necessary things to free places in our bagagges. All packings are put into Avia-car which arrived. All persons-participants are travelling to the aeroport by cars.
The flight from Prague is in sign of big taking leave – some friends are flying so far for the first time , some are flying for the first time at all. The checking out was effected without problems, we wondered as the boats were full loaded with foods and gifts for children in Ethiopia. We had to lift it with two persons.
We arrived to Brussels. After some confusion on the Brussels Airport we found the bus , taking us to the hotel. Here, having a long discussion, we drunk a couple of beers and nearly consumated all stocks of a hotel-bar. Paul obtained small bag of sweets, in order to have bonbons for children.
We have found in the evening that a loading to one of camera is missing. So we are looking for some wires, in order to charge the battery without original loading. We had to tear off the antennes from radios in hotel. We know, it is not permitted but we have to shoot. George had connected the wires with the second loading and the electric current is streaming into the camera-battery.
In the morning, after the breakfast, we are moving to catch the plane to Uganda. The flight is lasting for 10 hours, 6272 kms, speed 908 kms per hour, the height 11 kms. The delay is one and half hour, so it is a spleen. Moreover, the transit landing in Nairobi and further delay is waiting for us. We flew over Europe quite quickly from the plane-window we try to find the Inn river. We observe the Alps, sea, Sahara desert.
The arrival to Entebbe was at 2.a.m. in the night. To our surprise, the baggage is complete.
A taxi is waiting for us on the airport, everything seems to be O.K. The taxi-driver was a little
terrified of the weight of boats and also of the fact that we do not obtain straps. He pulls out two strings and is about to bind the boats to a roof of a car. We stop him and bind the boats with 60m long rope , this operation is quite difficult.
Moreover,we need to take the money from banking card slot machine. This is , however, at three o´clock in night in Africa very hard problem. The slot machines at bank- entrance in Kampala are guarded by the soldiers with weapons. We find , after a while, that the only slot-machine which could give us the money for our cards, is out of order.
Anyway, we have couple of dollars, so we are leaving Kampala in direction the small town of Jinja. We buy a water in the suburbs of Kampala and rush with mad speed to the camping place NRE. The road is full of holes and dust. A smiling man with a weapon is greeting us at the entrance of camping place . We construct the tents and go to bed.
In the morning we find , how exactly looks Africa like. We drive on motocycles to the bank to receive the money. We line the boats and try our best to get in movement the technics, afterthat we are investigating the surroundings. We verify where is possible to buy the foods and how much the things cost.
In the afternoon,we go to test the water, descend the first two rapids of name Rib Sage and Bujagali Falls. The first rapid is easy. The raid is between two big rollers into immense waves. The water has a force, it is running 2000 m3 of water. The rapid Bujagali is wonderful, it is possible to drive nearly everywhere. We are driving several times, in order to get used the gigantic mass of water. We fall into rollers big as buses. In one we got several flights „over a back“ but in general O.K. Great discussion in the evening. It is big tension – stress – as we accustome each other and enter into regular daily programme.
Uganda is marvellous, we meet the positive things for the time being. The only thing , we have to draw our attention is a bargaining regarding prices for the goods or prices for car-using.
Tomorrow, we intend to descend the whole section of Day One, so we are anxious to see how the matters will continue.
Many greetings from all expedition-members Clara, Paul, George, Lucas, Michael and Philipe.
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